Form folding machine



Oct. 26, 1954 K. w. JONES 2,692,393

FORM FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1953 e sheets-sheet 1 Inventor 4Kermit W Jones Oct. 26, 1954 w JONES 2,692,398

FORM FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 26, 1954w, JONES 2,692,398

FORM FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor KermitWJonea Oct. 26, 1954 K. w. JONES 2,692,398

FORM FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1953 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Oct. 26, 1954 wJONES 7 2,692,398

FORM FOLDING MACHINE Filed July 8, 1953 s She'eis-Sheet 5 Kermit WJonesPatented Oct. 26, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FORM FOLDING MACHINEKermit W. Jones, Ipswich, Mass assignor to United Shoe MachineryCorporation, Fleming'- ton, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey 7Application July 8, 1953, Serial No. 379,223

18 Claims. 1

This invention relates to machines for folding the margins of workpieces, and more particularly to machines of the type in which asubstantial portion of the margin of a work piece, such as a shoe upper,is folded in a single operation as distinguished from machines in whichthe margin is folded progressively or in a step-by-step manner. Machinesof the type to which the invention relates are known as form foldingmachines and the invention is illustrated as embodied in a machine ofthe type shown in the Booth et a1. Patent No. 1,095,699, granted May 5,1914, although it will be understood that the invention is not thuslimited in its application.

In folding the margins of shoe parts and particularly quarters such asare used in the manufacture of mens Goodyear welt shoes, it is highlydesirable that the quarter along the eyelet rows and the rounded cornersconnecting the edgesof the eyelet rows with the portions of the quarterforming the top line of the shoe be folded to a predetermined contour.If the folding of the uarter results in any departures from thepredetermined desired contour, this will become apparent when the shoeis lasted and some distortion of the upper may be required in order thatthe edges of the eyelet rows be in the proper positions. Accordingly ithas been found desirable in the manufacture of high quality shoesrequiring great precision in folding the marginal por-' tions of theeyelet rows to employ for the pur- ,pose, form folding machines, for atleast these I portions of the quarters, the remaining portion of thequarter being satisfactorily folded in a progressive type of foldingmachine. B'y limiting the folding in the form folding machine" to themargins of the eyelet rows and to the rounded corner portions at theupper extremities thereof, the same folding instrumentalities may beemployed for folding quarters for various sizes of shoes.

It has been found that even with the use of conventional form foldingmachines such as that shown in the aforementioned Booth at al. patentequipped with appropriately shaped folders,

' former plates etc., the convex curves between the eyelet row and thetop margin of the quarter are not always folded to precisely the sameshape. One reason is that in such machines there has been no adequatecontrol of the formation of pleats when the material is folded so thatthe exact contour of this curved portion cannot be accurately predicted.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved formfolding machine arranged to fold work pieces having eonvexlycurvedarginal portions to an exact pledetlfnlihe'd olltolli. To this end andin accordance with a feature' of the invention, improved means areprovided for forming pleats in the margin of the work which is to befolded at the convexly' curved portion, and to maintain the pleats thusformed during the folding operation.

In order that one set of folding instrumentalities may suflice forfolding the aforesaid portions of quarters for different sized shoes thefolding operation is not performed along that portion of the quarterwhich forms the top margin of the shoe except at the corners between thetop margin and the eyelet row's' since such folding may be done withsufficient accuracy by a progressive type of folder. However, thefolding by the form folder must be terminated abruptly as Otherwise anobjectionable joint will appear between the portions folded by the twodifferent types of folding machines at which portions for a. shortdistance the margin will not be folded over sufiiciently. Accordingly,in accordance with another object of the invention, provision is madefor folding the margin up: to a predetermined point beyond which nofoldingis effected by the form folding machine. To this end and inaccordance with a further feature of the invention, the folding machineis provided with .a folding finger which during the folding operationmoves inwardly over the margin of the work and presses downwardlythereon so that the fold terminates at a predetermined point along themargin.

The above and other features of the invention including various detailsof construction and novel combinations of parts will now be describedwith reference to the drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an angular View of one form of machine in which the inventionis embodied; I

Fig. 2 is an angular view of the folding instrumentalities shown in Fig.1 but on a somewhat larger scale;

Fig. 3 is an angular view of certain of the folding instrumentalities;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the folding instrumentalities, the parts at theright of the figure being shown in the positions they assume at thebeginning of a folding operation, and the parts in the left side of Fig.4' being inthe positions assumed at a later stage in the folding"operation;

Fig. 5 is an angular view, partly in section; or a portion of themechanism shown in Fig. 3, but ona larger scale:

the work support [2. the upper surface of the folding plate I4 is inFig. 6 is a vertical section through the folding instrumentalities ofthe machine;

Figs. 7 to 13 are vertical sections throught a portion of the foldinginstrumentalities showing them in diiferent positions during the foldingoperation, these views being taken along the line -VIIVII of Fig. 4;

Fig. 14 is a view on the line XIVXIV of Fig. 4; and

Figs. 15 to 18 are vertical sections illustrating the operation of thefingers which determine the extent of the folded portions.

The machine comprises a base I!) on which is carried a work support l2in the form of a flat plate the rearward edge of which is shaped tocorrespond to the marginal contour of the work piece to be operatedupon. The work support I2 is readily removable so that it may bereplaced by one having a difierent shaped rearward edge portion tocorrespond to the particular work to be operated upon, the mounting ofthe support being similar to that shown in the Booth et al. Patent No.695,438, granted March 18, 1902, and

being fully explained therein.

A folding plate 14 having a forward edge portion shaped complementallyto the rearward edge portion of the work support I2 is mounted on acarrier I6 for vertical movements and for forward and rearward movementswith respect to With the machine at rest,

substantially the same plane as the upper surface of the work supportl2. Secured to the upper surface of the folding plate I4 is a gage ISthe forward edge of which corresponds in shape to the forward edge ofthe folding plate i l but is spaced rearwardly thereof so that a workpiece W may be placed on the work support with the edge in contact withthe gage l8 and the marginal portion defined by such edge, which portionis to be folded, extending beyond the work support and overlying thefolding plate M, as shown in Fig. '7.

Provision is made for clamping the work piece after it has been properlypositioned on the work support and for this purpose a clamping plate 20is provided. This clamping plate is carried in spaced relation to aclamp bar 22 by pins 24 and spacing washers 25 as shown in Fig. 14. Thewashers 26 are slightly thicker than the thickness of a former plate 28which is provided with slots 30 to receive the washers 26, this formerplate being arranged to move forwardly and rearwardly of the worksupport l2 with respect to the clamping plate and clamp bar. The formerplate has secured to its upper surface a pair of semi-circular flangedmembers 32 which are in turned secured to vertically extending tubes 34carried by the forward ends of rods 35 (Fig. 6) slidable in sleeves 38,the rearward ends of which are mounted in a crosshead (Fig. 1). Springs42 normally maintain the rods 3% in their rearmost positions as shown inFig. 6 in which the rearward edge of the former plate, which has acontour corresponding to that of the rearward edge of the work supportl2, lies adjacent to but slightly rearwardly of this edge of the worksupport.

Secured to the forward ends of the sleeves 38 are circular members 44which surround the rods 36 and into which are threaded screws 46, thelower ends of which are received in holes in the clamp bar 22 asindicated in Figs. '7 to 12.

.A pair of lock nuts 48 provides means for maintaining the clamp bar inthe proper spaced relaupon the body thereof.

4 tion to the sleeve 38 and hence in the proper relation to the formerplate 28.

The above work engaging elements are those which are common to themachine of the present invention and the machine of the Booth et al.patents mentioned above, and, as will be clearly understood from a studyof the aforementioned patent, the machineoperates as shown in Figs. 7 to13. The work piece W is first placed on the work support I2 with themargin to be folded overlying the folding plate hi and the edge of thework contacting the gage l8. Upon depressing a treadle, the crosshead 49(Fig. l) pivots about a shaft 50 whereupon the clamping plate 20 movesinto contact with the work as shown in Fig. 8 and the former plate 28occupies the position shown in that figure. A clutch is now engaged,causing rotation of a cam shaft 52 (Fig. 1) whereupon a lever 54 movesforwardly and acts through a;spring 56 against a plate 58 to hold thecrosshead 4!] in the position to which it was moved upon depression ofthe treadle so that the clamping plate 25 remains in contact with theupper surface of the .work throughout the folding operation. The foldingplate M now rises to turn the margin of the work upwardly against theforward edge of the former plate 28 until the folding plate finallyreaches a position as shown in Fig. 10 above the upper surface of thework support l2. The folding plate then moves forwardly to fold themargin of the work over the upper surface of the creaser plate, as shownin Fig. 11, which is then withdrawn (Fig. 12) by forward movementimparted to the rods 36 (Fig. 6) by which the former plate is carriedwhereupon the folding plate moves downwardly to the position shown inFig. 13, pressing the folded margin of the work back The downwardmovement of the folding plate 14 is augmented by arms 60 (Fig. 1)through the forward ends of which are threaded screws 62 arranged forengagement with the upper surface of the folding plate M. These arms arecarried by sleeves 64 which are in turn secured to levers 66 journaledon studs 68 and carrying followers 19 received by grooves 12 in cams Hicarried by the cam shaft 52. At a predetermined time in the pressingoperation, the arms 60 are moved downwardly whereby pressure istransmitted through the screws 62 to the folding plate l4 followingwhich the arms are again raised, the folding plate moved upwardly andthen rearwardly, finally returning to the position shown in Fig. 7. Fora more complete description of the mechanism by which the aforesaidoperations take place, reference is made to the aforementioned Booth eta1.

patents.

The forward edge of the folding plate 24 has a pair of straight portions16 (Figs. 2 and 3) arranged to contact the marginal portions of thequarter along the eyelet rows. The straight portions 16 merge withcurved serrated portions 18 arranged for engagement with the curvedportions of the quarter between the eyelet rows and the top margin ofthe quarter. These portions 18 are serrated to insure the formation ofuniformly spaced pleats in the curved portions so that curves of apredetermined contour are formed during each folding operation.Cooperating with the serrated portions are clamping members ordistributors all which serve to clamp the margin of the work on thefolding plate above the serrated portions 1 8 as shown in Fig.

8, whereupon during upward movement of the .stops I secured to thesleeves 38.

folding plate, as shown in Fig. 9, the work is drawn tightly around theupper edges of the serrations to assist in the formation of the pleats.The front faces of the distributors 80 are concavely curved to conformgenerally to the curvature of the serrated portions I8 as shown in Fig.3. To maintain the pleats thus formed during forward movement of thefolding plate I4 to turn the margin of the work about the edge of theformer plate 28, retarders 82 are provided and operate as shown in Fig.11 to hold the pleated marginal portion of the work against theserrations in the folding plate I4.

The distributors 80 are carried by the lower ends of pins 84 which areslidable vertically in brackets 86 secured to the gages I8. Eachdistributor 80 rests on a head 88 (Fig. 6) formed at the lower end ofits pin 84 and a spring 90 actsbetween the bracket 86 and thedistributor to move the distributor downwardly into clamping engagementwith the marginal portion of the upper. With the machine at rest and theparts in position for the presentation of a work piece to the machine,the distributors are held in elevated positions as shown in Figs. 6 and7. For this purpose there is secured to the upper'end of each pin 84 aninverted L-shaped bar 92 the lower edge of which is arranged, with theparts positioned as in Fig. 6, to rest on the upper face of the retarder82. The retarder moves downwardly with the former plate 28 at the startof a cycle of operation whereupon the springs 90 urge the distributors80 into contact with the work. a

The retarders 82 are carried at the lower ends of arms 94 the upper endsof which are in the form of sleeves 96 surrounding the sleeves 38. Thesleeves 96 are slidable along the sleeves 38 and are urged rearwardly bysprings 98 toward Turning of the sleeves 96 about the sleeves 38 isprevented 'by forwardly extending arms I02 of the stops I00 received bygrooves in the sleeves 96.

Inasmuch as the present machine is intended to fold the margin of thequarter only along the eyelet rows and the curved portions at the topsof the eyelet rows, means are provided for terminating the foldingabruptly at predetermined points adjacent to the curved portions. Thisfacilitates subsequent folding of the top margin .of the quarter by aprogressive type folding machine to provide a smooth folded edgethroughout the extent of the folded margin. For this purpose a pair offingers I04 (Figs. 3 and to 18) is provided. These fingers are shaped asillustrated, the upper portions extending outwardly away from each otherproviding work engaging surfaces I06 arranged for engagement with themargin of the work as the fingers move progressively, as shown in Figs.15 to 18.

Associated with the folding plate I4 is a plate I08 movable verticallywith the folding plate but engaging the edge of the work support and notmoving forwardly during forward movement of the folding plate in thefolding operation. The function of the plate I08, as described in theaforementioned patents, is to prevent the margin of the leatherspringing back to its original position when the folding plate I4 movesto a position above the work support I2. The front edge of the plate I08has the same general contour as that of the folding plate I4.

Secured to the plate I08 is a supporting plate II0 (Fig. 5) for thefingers I04. These fingers are pivoted to the supporting plate H0 at H26 and the lower ends of the fingers are connected by a tension springII4 which acts to move the upper portions of the fingers outwardlytoward folding position. The work support I2 is provided with a recessIIG, the edges of the support at the recess being inclined upwardly andinwardly toward each other to providecam surfaces Ill against which theupper portions of the fingers bear during upward movement of the plateI08 with the folding plate I4. As shown in Fig. 15, the margin of thework extends over the recess II6 for engagement with the upper portionsof the fingers I04. Thefolding plate I4 is provided with a recess II8(Fig. 5) for receiving .the supporting plate IIO during forward movementof the folding plate I4 in the folding operation. A cover plate I20,secured to the upper surface of the folding plate I4, :closes the top ofthe recess II8.

During upward movement of the folding plate I4 the fingers I04 move fromthe positions shown in Fig. 15 to the positions of Fig. 16, turningupwardly and inwardly the margin of the material, as shown in Fig. 16.Upon downward movement of the folding plate in the fold pressingoperation the fingers move to the positions shown in Fig. 18, whereuponthework engaging portions I06 of the fingers I04 press themargin anddefine the extent of fold by the machine.

In the operationof the machine, a quarter, the margin of which is to be.folded, is presented to the machine with its edge in engagement with thegage I8. At this time the parts are in the positions shown in Figs. 1, 7and 15. Upon depression of a treadle, the crosshead 40 pivots about itssupporting shaft whereupon the work is clamped in position by theclamping plate 20, the parts occupying the positions shown in. Fig. 8.The retarders 82 move downwardly when the treadle is depressed sincethey are carried by the sleeves 38 surrounding the rods 36 supported bythe crosshead 40. Consequently the springs 90 move the distributorsdownwardly into the positions shown in Fig. 8. This depression of thetreadle causes engagement of the clutch, as described in theaforementioned patents, causing forward movement of the lever 54'andthus holding the crosshead in the position to which it was moved bydepression of the treadle. The folding plate I4 now moves upwardly intothe position shown in Fig. 9, turning the margin of the workupwardlyagainst the adjacent edge of the former plate 28. During thismovement of the folding plate, the distributors tension the margin ofthe work over the upper edges of the serrated portions 18 thus forminguniformly spaced pleats throughout the curved portions where the marginis to be folded. At the same time, the fingers I04 move upwardly intothe positions shown in Fig. 16, the springs urging the upper endsoutwardly as soon as the fingers clear the former plate 28, therebyturning the margin of the work at the location of the fingers aroundtheformer plate, as shown in Fig. 16. At this point in the cycle ofoperations th parts are positioned as in Fig. 10, following which thefolding plate I4 starts to move forwardly, turning the margin of theWork over the top surface of the former plate, as shown in Fig. 11.During this movement of the folding plate the curved pleated portionsare yieldingly held against the front edge of the folding plate by theretarders 82 so that the previously formed pleats areretained, thusinsuring the formation of portions of. predetermined curvature with novariations in curvature from one piece of work .to the next. Followingmovement of the folding plate [4 into its forwardmost position, theformer plate 28 is moved forwardly until it is clear of the foldedmargin, the parts then being positioned as shown in Figs. 12 and 14. Thefolding plate I4 is now moved downwardly into the position shown in Fig.13 to press the folded margin. 31-- multaneously the fingers I04 movedownwardly,

whereupon the work engaging'portions [06 press the margin of the work asshown in Fig. 18, thereby defining the limits of the folded portions.

The folding plate now moves upwardly and rearwardly, then downwardly,returning to its starting position, during which time the former plate28 moves forwardly and upwardly, the retarders 82 engaging theL,-shaped. brackets 92, thereby to lift the distributors above the uppersurface of the folding plate l4 to permit insertion of a new piece ofwork thereunder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a form folding machine, a folding plate arranged to turn themargin of a work piece upwardly relative to the body portion thereof,said plate having a concave work-engaging portion provided withvertically extending serrations, and means associated with said portionsof said plate for maintaining the work under tension While the margin ofthe work is being turned upwardly.

2. In a form folding machine, a folding plate arranged to turn themargin of a work piece upwardly relative to the body portion thereof,said plate having a concave work-engaging portion provided withvertically extending serrations, and a yielding clamp member for holdingthe margin of the work under tension over said concave workengagingportion.

3. In a form folding machine, a folding plate arranged to turn themargin of a work piece upwardly relative to the body portion thereof,said plate having a concave work-engaging portion provided withvertically extending serrations, a yielding clamp member for holding themargin of the work under tension over said concave work- 'engagingportion, and means operative after the margin of the work has beenturned upwardly for yieldingly holding the upturned margin against saidserrations.

4. In a form folding machine, a folding plate, means for operating saidplate first to turn the margin of a work piece upwardly with respect tothe body portion thereof and then to turn the margin back over the bodyportion, the contour of the work-engaging edge of said platecomplementing that of the work to be folded and 'having a concaveportion for folding a convexly curved portion of the margin of the work,said concave portion having vertically extending serrations arranged toform pleats in the work, and means cooperating with said platefortensioning the work at said concave portion as the margin of the workis turned up.

5. In a form folding machine, a folding plate, means for operating saidplate first to turn the margin of a work piece upwardly with respect tothe body portion thereof and then to turn the margin back over the bodyportion, the contour of the work-engaging edge of said platecomplementing that of the work to be folded and having a concave portionfor folding a convexly curved portion of the margin of the work, saidconcave portion having vertically extending serrations arranged to'formpleats in the work,

means cooperating with saidplate for tensioning the work at said concaveportion as the margin of the work is turned up, and other meanscooperating with the plate for yieldingly holding the upturned marginalportion against the serrations during operation of the plate to turn themarginal portion of the work back over the body portion.

6. A form folding machine having a vertically and horizontally movablefolding plate for turning the margin of a work piece upwardly and thenback upon the body thereof and for pressing the margin against the bodyof the work piece, said folding plate having a work-engaging edge, thecontour of a portion at least of which is concave, said concave portionhaving vertically extending serrations arranged to form pleats in thatportion of the work engaged by the concave portion during upwardmovement of the folding plate, and means acting on the workfortensioning the work at the concave portion during said upward movementof the folding plate.

7. A form folding machine having a vertically and horizontally movablefolding plate for turning the margin of a Work piece upwardly and thenback upon the body thereof and for pressing the margin against the bodyof the work piece, said folding plate having a work-engaging edge,

the contour of a portion at least of which is concave, said concaveportion having vertically extending serrations arranged to form pleatsin that portion of the work engaged by the concave portion during upwardmovement of the folding plate, and means cooperating with said foldingplate for yieldingly clamping the margin of the work thereon in thevicinity of said concave portion during upward movement of said plate.

8. A form folding machine having a vertically and horizontally movablefolding plate for turning the margin of a work piece upwardly and thenback upon the body thereof and for pressing the margin against the bodyof the Work piece, said folding plate having a work-engaging edge, thecontour of a portion at least of which is concave, said concave portionhaving vertically extending serrations arranged to form pleats in thatportion of the work engaged by the concave portion during upwardmovement of the folding plate,means cooperating with said folding platefor yieldingly clamping the margin of the work thereon in the vicinityof said concave portion during upward movement of said plate, and meansfor yieldingly holding the upturned margin of the work against saidserrated portion during horizontal movement of said folding plate.

9. A form folding machine having a vertically and horizontally movablefolding plate for turning the margin of a work piece upwardly and thenback upon the body thereof and for pressing the margin against the bodyof the work piece, said folding plate having a work-engaging edge, thecontour of a portion at least of which is concave, said concave portionhaving vertically extending serrations arranged to form pleats in thatportion of the work engaged by the concave portion during upwardmovement of the folding plate, and a yielding clamp member carried byand movable with said folding plate, said clamp member having a curvedface corresponding generally to the curvature of said concave portionand arranged to tension the work asit is acted upon by said serratedportion.

10. A form folding machine having a vertically and horizontally movablefolding plate for turning the margin of a work piece upwardly andthen-back upon the body thereof and for pressing the margin against thebody of the work piece, said folding plate having a work-engagingedge,the contour of a portion at least of which is concave, said concaveportion having vertically extending serrations arranged to form pleatsin that portion of the work engaged by the concave portion during upwardmovement of the folding plate, a yieldingly clamp member carried by andmovable with'said folding plate, said clamp member having a curved facecorresponding generally tothe curvature of said concave portion andarranged to tension the work as it is acted upon by said serratedportion, and means operative with the machine at rest for holding saidclamp member in spaced relation to said folding plate to facilitatepresentation of a work piece to the machine.

11. A form folding machine having a vertically and horizontallymovable'folding plate for turning the margin of a work piece upwardlyand then back upon the body thereof and for pressing the margin againstthe body of the work piece, said folding plate having a, work-engagingedge, the contour of a portion at least of which is concave, saidconcave portion having vertically extending serrations arranged to formpleats in that portion of the work engaged by the concave portion duringupward movement of the folding plate, a yielding clamp member carried byand movable with said folding plate, said clamp member having a curvedface corresponding generally to the curvature of said concave portionand arranged to tension the work as it is acted upon by said serratedportion, and a yielding member located in the path of horizontalmovement of said folding plate and arranged for engagement with thatportion of the upturned margin of the work piece engaged by the serratedportion of the folding plate.

12. In a form folding machine, a folding plate having a work-engagingedge which includes a concave portion having vertically extendingserrations, a work support adjacent to said folding plate for supportinga work piece with its margin overlapping the work-engaging edge of saidfolding plate, means for thus clamping the work piece on said worksupport, a former plate associated with said clamping means having anedge portion generally complemental to the workengaging edge of saidfolding plate and about which the margin of the work is turned thusdefining the line of fold, means for causing relative vertical movementof said work support and of said folding plate whereby the margin of theWork piece is turned upwardly relative to the body portion thereof, andmeans engageable with the margin of the work in the vicinity of saidconcave portion for tensioning the work as the margin is drawn over theserrations.

13. In a form folding machine, a folding plate having a work-engagingedge which includes a concave portion having vertically extendingserrations, a work support adjacent to said folding plate for supportinga work piece with its margin overlapping the work-engaging edge of saidfolding plate, means for thus clamping the work piece on said worksupport, a former plate associated with said clamping means having anedge portion generally complemental to the workengaging edge of saidfolding plate and about which the margin of the work is turned thusdefining the line of fold, means for causing relative vertical movementof said work support and of said folding plate whereby the margin of thework piece is turned upwardly relative to the body portion thereof, andmeans for yieldingly clamping the margin of the workpiece to saidfolding plate over said concave portion whereby the margin of the workis tensioned over the serrated portion during the folding operation toassist in forming uniformly spaced pleats.

14. In a form folding machine, a folding plate having a work-engagingedge which includes a concave portion having vertically extendingserrations, a work support adjacent to said folding plate for supportinga work piece with its margin overlapping the work-engaging edge of saidfolding plate, means for thus clamping the work piece on said worksupport, a former plate associated with said clamping means having anedge portion generally complemental to the -workengaging edge of saidfolding plate and about which the margin of the work is turned thusdefining the line of fold, means for causing relative vertical movementof said work support and of said folding plate whereby the margin of thework piece is turned upwardly relative to the body portion thereof,means for yieldingly clamping the margin of the work piece to saidfolding plate "over said concave portion whereby the margin of the workis tensioned over the serrated portion during the folding operation toassist in forming uniformly spaced pleats, means for causing relativehorizontal movement of said work support and said folding plate to turnthe upturned margin of the work back over the body thereof, and meansfor yieldingly holding the margin of the work against said serratedportion during such relative movement.

15. A form folding machine for operating on a portion only of the marginof a work piece comprising a work support, a folding plate adjacent tosaid work support and arranged to receive said portion of the margin ofa work piece carried by said work support, means for clamping the workpiece to said work support, means for moving said folding platevertically to turn the margin of the work piece upwardly, for thenmoving it horizontally to turn the margin back over the body portion andthen for moving it downwardly to press the folded margin throughout apredetermined extent of the marginal portion of the work, and meanssupplementing the action of the folding plate to fold a limited portionof the margin immediately adjacent to said folding plate clearly todefine the end of the folded portion.

16. A form folding machine for operating on a portion only of the marginof a work piece comprising a work support, a folding plate adjacent tosaid work support and arranged to receive said portion of the margin ofa work piece carried by said work support, means for clamping the workpiece to said work support, means for moving said folding platevertically to turn the margin of the work piece upwardly, for thenmoving it horizontally to turn the margin back over the body portion andthen for moving it downwardly to press the folded margin throughout apredetermined extent of the marginal portion of the work, and meanssupplementing the action of the folding plate to fold a limited portionof the margin immediately adjacent to said folding plate clearly todefine the end of the folded portion, said means comprising a foldingfinger operable through an opening in said work support.

17. A form folding machine for operating on a portion only of the marginof a work piece comprising a work support, a folding plate adjacent tosaid work support and arranged to receive said portion of the margin ofa work piece carried by said work support, means for clamping the workpiece to said work support, means for moving said folding platevertically to turn the margin of the work piece upwardly, for thenmoving it horizontally to turn the margin back over the body portion andthen for moving it downwardly to press the folded margin throughout apredetermined extent of the marginal portion of the work, and meanssupplementing the action of the folding plate to fold a limited portionof the margin immediately adjacent to said folding plate clearly todefine the end of the folded portion, said means comprising a foldingfinger movable With said folding plate through an opening in the worksupport and movable laterally with respect to the work support to wipeover the margin adjacent to said folding plate.

18. A form folding machine for operating on a portion only of the marginof a work piece comprising a Work support, a folding plate adjacent tosaid work support and arranged to receive said portion of the margin ofa work piece carried by said work support, means for clamping the workpiece to said work support, means for moving said folding platevertically to turn the margin of the work piece upwardly, for thenmoving it horizontally to turn the margin back over the body portion andthen for moving it downwardly to press the folded margin throughout apredetermined extent of the marginal portion of the Work, and meanssupplementing the action of the folding plate to fold a limited portionof the margin immediately adjacent to said folding plate clearly todefine the end of the folded portion, said means comprising a foldingfinger pivotally carried by said folding plate, means acting on thefolding finger to move it laterally with respect to the work support,said work support having an opening through which the folding fingermoves, the margin of said opening being inclined to hold the finger in aretracted position until it extends through said opening after which thefinger is free to be moved to turn the margin of the work over the bodyportion thereof, said finger being moved downwardly with the foldingplate to press said turned-over portion of the margin.

No references cited.

